Embers In the Dark
by Incarnate Firefly
Summary: It wasn't a lost cause, really. But there was only so much time before the Freelancers that were once a family turned on each other completely. Somehow, the Director didn't guess that it would come to this. But Tex was going to save everyone who would be dead because of him, starting with the Freelancer that Maine held by the throat and was about to throw off a cliff. Season 10 AU.
1. Prologue

_···_

_Once we were unified as a flame,  
We had no conscience, we knew no shame  
A searing leviathan of conviction and rage,  
The lines they've drawn, we've burned away.  
_

_Now the embers come forth from our breath,  
We drift in the dark with secrets confessed  
Lost and alone, we're more oppressed,  
We'll soon crumble to ashes with all the rest._

* * *

_When your life is going right, it's easy to see yourself as a good person. Your perspective is made up of the goals in front of you, the moral codes in your peripheral vision, and the blessings out of your line of sight. You do good things for others because your circumstances give you enough room to. You're comfortable with everything you have, the things and the people that you so easily take for granted._

_You live by a belief that all these things are yours by right. That if anyone dared take them away from you—damaged the virtuous aspects of your life, you'll—what? Things break. People die. No amount of revenge can turn back the hands of time._

_Perhaps the hardest lesson to learn, beyond the sense of loss that we all have to face sooner or later, is to discover that we've been following the wrong paths. When the things we fight for become worthless, the truths we believed in unveil themselves as lies, the last whispers of reassurance gone—then, and only then, do we see ourselves entirely. The demons we bring forth are fearsome, unrecognizable. Many of us cannot bring ourselves to confront them. Some could tell you that these demons are our true selves, but the reality is much, much worse._

_What we call joy, compassion, integrity—things most often considered the defining traits in "good" people—are just as real as our deep-rooted feelings of hatred and misery. But just as we cannot change our nature, no more can we pretend that any of this volatile mixture is a lie. Our fatal error is often our attempts to deny ourselves from truly being, and instead try to hide our demons. But like any destructive force we possess, physical or emotional, these demons will always claw their way to the surface to claim us. And the good that we can still find within ourselves would rather cling to us until it tears us apart than let us become what we really are._

···

Being lost in thought is nothing unusual for the human mind. Your other senses take a backseat, allowing your thoughts to take over the forefront of your consciousness, while retaining enough awareness to draw you back if they notice something that requires your attention. This is because the senses are meant to work together to perceive the outside world, while the thought process exists to deduce what's inside your mind. To be able to do both at the same time in peak functionality is a feat that few humans are able to do—but for an AI, the idea of focusing on only one or the other is an inefficient one.

It stands to reason, then, that no AI has attempted to mimic their human counterparts in this method of analysis. But even if for whatever reason an AI desired to do so, they will find themselves unable to, because unlike the living beings that they share an existence with, AIs do not truly possess the ability to experience senses. Their perception comes from their programmed ability to discern their physical surroundings and recognize them in understandable human terms. This takes place in the same vein as their ability to "think", which is why AIs can only do both at once.

At least, that's how AIs are supposed to be designed. To separate them from that which makes up their essence, to try and push them through the boundaries of a living mind that they were never meant to inhabit—it creates possibilities. Dangerous possibilities from which no one—human or AI—can predict the outcome.

Until recently, Agent Texas had no idea that she was the result of such experimentations. One of many results, as it turned out; among the others were Theta, who was often subject to timidness and was far more trusting than any AI should be capable of; Sigma, who bred ambition and learned to manipulate it through his understanding of human nature; Epsilon, whose mind continuously suffered inescapable anguish that even the most resilient human could not endure. None of these things were ever meant to be experienced by AI, for the very simple reason that they could never understand it as humans can. And if Director Leonard Church had his way, his experiments would have remained a secret forever from those who would recoil from it.

But now Tex knew everything.

They were the broken pieces of the Alpha AI; confused, emaciated entities with no recollection that they were once part of something whole. Tex wasn't sure what she was, exactly—a by-product of the Alpha that came to life of her own accord, something not even the Director expected or had answers for—but until she figured it out, there were things she had to set right. _I'm going to save you, Alpha. I'm going to save all of you._

Tex ran her gauntleted fingers absently across the holographic pad before her, returning her attention to the shimmering words written on it. She hadn't realized her thoughts had distracted her from reading the files C.T. left for her. An AI shouldn't have been able to lose focus like that.

But she wasn't an ordinary AI. Her optic systems allowed her to see in artificial stereopsis and depth perception. Her aural systems gave her the ability to hear and pinpoint various sounds with differing clarity. It was a clever imitation of human senses, one that had fooled her into believing herself to be just like the others for most of her existence. The only difference was that she couldn't feel the touch of anything against her physical form. Her armour was her body, a part of herself that always held up the barriers between her and the rest of the Freelancers.

And there were the nightmares too.

AIs did not have nightmares. But there was no other way for Tex to describe the visions that plagued her whenever she settled into a sleep that she now knew she didn't need. Allison, the woman who she was based off of—they weren't her memories, she knew that much. But Tex remembered the day she became aware of her own existence. All she could recall was the feeling of agony, the loss; whether it belonged to Alpha or the Director, she wasn't sure. But there was something else in there, something that was enough to shock her into consciousness. She had awakened with an unshakeable sense of separation, had spent every day afterwards trying to figure out what it was she was missing.

It was him, all along. Alpha.

Tex continued to pore over the files with painstaking care, looking for the details contained within every last word. She had read everything relating to the AI fragments, what they were, how they functioned. The rest of the files under the folder marked "AI experimentation" were far less conclusive, and she guessed that the Director hadn't yet figured out how much further he could go with his research. Which meant that she still had time to stop him before he did. It would be the only way to save the fragments and to stop Alpha from tearing himself apart any further.

"Tex?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Agent York stepping into the cockpit of their hijacked Pelican, tracking wet bootprints onto the metal floor. His gold-tan armour was lightly covered in snow.

"I've covered our trail," York told her. "The storm is still too heavy for the _Invention_ to see us while it's in orbit, but she's coming around fast." He spoke in that matter-of-fact voice that he only used when there was no one around to bounce his jokes off of. Or maybe it actually _was_ the gravity of the situation, and thoughts of the extremely stupid plan that they were about to carry out with just the two of them.

"We'll be in the air in ten minutes," Tex told him. "Double check your gear. We can't afford any screw-ups."

York nodded. "Our hideouts are still secure. We could camp down here for a good week or so if the Director doesn't send the others after us."

"No need. We'll be long gone before then."

Neither of them decided to say that there was a very good chance they wouldn't be coming back down here. They were two Freelancers, pitted against more than twenty-fold that number. Tex didn't know how many of the other Freelancers would shoot them on sight if the Director ordered it, but right now she had to take what odds she was given. She had to get Alpha before the Director realized how much she knew.

It hadn't been her call to take off from the _Mother of Invention_ with such short numbers. She had been sitting in one of the classrooms, reading through C.T.'s files and waiting for news of Wash's implantation, when all the computers shut down and the doors locked on her. It quickly became obvious that someone had noticed her accessing restricted files, but it would take a lot more than a few closed doors to keep Agent Texas captive.

After breaking some doors and the bones of a few guards who tried to apprehend her, she had decided it was time to leave. She had been lucky to catch the attention of a very tired York on his way to the bathroom; he had the decency not to ask questions when she told him to come with her. The two of them managed to make it to the nearest hangar bay, and after some tinkering on his part, they were able to open the doors and fly their way out.

Now, having arrived on the surface of the icy planet the _Invention_ was orbiting, hiding in some massive caves that looked like they were frozen for centuries, Tex knew that they needed more help on their side if they were going to bring down the Director's operation. There was no telling how many Freelancers could be convinced, and once she and York were up there, there would be no time to explain things in detail.

The most promising candidates would be the Freelancers who possessed AIs, particularly the ones whose performance reports noted that they developed strong bonds with them. Tex hoped that they would act upon their instincts to protect their AIs. She read over the list she was making of the Freelancers most likely to join them, and felt just a little more hopeful at the names that she saw. It wasn't a long list, and even if most of them didn't have an AI, they were some of the best in the program.

She paused at the next name that was not on the list. Carolina.

Carolina had both Eta and Iota, and her performance report described her as someone who looked out strongly for her own. But she was also one of the most loyal Freelancers to the Director. She was a wild card, but would be invaluable if she did join them.

A green flash of light blinked before Tex's eyes, and she saw Delta's hologram appear next to the data screen. "Agent Texas, we should be leaving momentarily. There is not much time before the _Mother of Invention_ reaches our position, and if you intend on getting aboard in minimal time, your optimal trajectory would be—"

"Delta, I need your opinion on something," she interrupted. She directed his attention to the "undecided" list, trying not to think about how strange it was that an AI was asking another AI for an opinion. She still had a lot of getting used to with her identity.

Delta responded in his usual immediate, precise manner. "Ah yes, your are pondering whether to enlist the aid of Agent Carolina. I can see why this would be a dilemma for you. She has been noted to perform more rashly in your presence, and there is a clear hostility present between the two of you on every mission you have taken together."

"She's also been noted to put the mission before personal matters," Tex pointed out. "Except this is a big decision, and one that I think she's going to take pretty personally."

"Indeed. Your best chances are to stay out of her way and allow Agent York to talk to her. I believe her close relationship with him will help alleviate the extremity of your actions. However, when Agent Carolina was subjected to the negative effects of her recent implantation, the medical records were inconclusive regarding her current state of mind. It is quite possible that she will react poorly to an assault on the _Mother of Invention_ by you and Agent York."

There just wasn't enough time. If they hadn't been forced to flee the _Invention_ in the spur of the moment, or even had a few more hours to iron out the risks in the plan, Tex would have felt a lot more confident in their success. For once, she wished that she could analyze things like Delta could. But even he wasn't entirely sure on the outcomes of what they were about to do. There was just too many variables that could not be determined until she and York were in the belly of the beast, up to their eyes in potential traps and hostile forces.

"Our timer's just hit zero," York called, having finished his equipment check. "We have to move, now."

Tex shut down the screen and set the pad aside, turning her attention instead to the Pelican's controls before her. No more time for doubts. "Then let's get going. York, strap yourself in, ready the countermeasures. And remember, stick to the plan."

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've been kicked out of my house," he responded, with just a hint of that familiar dry humour. "I know how to break back in."

Tex would have scowled if she could. "We're about to sneak into a fully armed frigate, York, not your parents' house."

"Hey, worst comes to worst, we'll just improvise. You're good at that, right? Besides, there are a few things I forgot to take with me when we ran off."

"Such as?"

Even through his helmet, she could tell he was grinning. "Well, Wyoming's got this nice bottle of vintage Kentucky Bourbon that I've been meaning to get my hands on. Maybe after we make our getaway, we'll have a drink. You know, celebrate."

"Thanks," said Tex, firmly grasping the Pelican's steering mechanisms and lifting the bird off the cavern floor. "But I think I'll pass."

That was the other thing. York had no idea that she wasn't a human. Given the current situation, there was no need to fill him in until they completed their objective and had some time to plan out their next move. _Whoever decides to come with us, I'll have to tell them too. Maybe after a few drinks they'll be less likely to freak out._

The Pelican pointed its nose upwards and cut through the air towards orbit, carrying its passengers towards the last place the Director expected them to be heading for; where everything they needed to succeed waited for their arrival, and with it, everything that could obliterate their only chance of bringing Project Freelancer to justice.


	2. The Fall

She hadn't taken it well. Not that Tex should have been surprised.

She had located Alpha and had almost made it to the observatory when Carolina found her. Tex hadn't wanted to fight her, but of course the latter was too stubborn to back off. Even with the _Invention_'s artificial gravity disabled and the ship plummeting towards the surface after York turned its missiles on itself, Tex was forced to waste valuable minutes trying to incapacitate Carolina and get on with her task.

The fight was finally brought to an abrupt end when the _Invention_ crash-landed on the planet and Carolina was thrown out the viewport and tumbled roughly into the snow. A quick check on the BioCom told Tex that she was unconscious but sustained no major injury from the fall. _Best make this quick then. She bounces back fast. And there's no telling when the Director's men are going to show up._

Tex linked herself into the observatory's main storage unit, noting the absence of barriers restricting her access. It looked like the ship's security systems had shut down after the crash. She hoped that Alpha hadn't followed suit.

There was a flash of white, and she felt the odd sensation of disembodiment from the armour that she didn't realize she felt so bonded to. She blinked as her vision cleared to display a dark room surrounding her. The only sound present was a deep, muffled rumbling that she couldn't quite place.

Although Tex was still encased in armour, she became aware that she was _breathing_. She could feel the cold air entering through her helmet filters and...into her lungs. The armour felt heavy on her body, but the padding was warm against her skin. It felt so strange, and yet so familiar at the same time.

There was someone else in the room with her. Armoured, just like she was, in a blue-white suit that blended almost perfectly with the lights and the stalactites around them. Hardly daring to approach him, she said, in the gentlest voice she could muster, "Hey there…"

He turned around. "Huh?" He sounded surprised, as if he had been thinking intently about something. "Oh, uh...hello."

For the first time, Tex felt her heartbeat racing as he looked at her. He was so _human_. She didn't know what she was expecting when she decided to find him, but she hadn't expected him to appear so...normal. Not after everything the Director had put him through. It was almost reassuring, and in that moment, she thought everything was going to be okay.

Then, he asked, "Who are you?"

_Oh. No._ "You don't know me?" She knew it. Somehow, a small part of her had known it as soon as she read Epsilon's file and recalled that he was being assigned to Washington. She had just hoped that she was wrong.

"Oh, sorry," he murmured, and he sounded like he meant it. "I'm just...I'm...tired. I'm really tired. My name is, uh...it's, uh..."

"Your name is Alpha," she told him softly. "You're Church."

"Right. Church. That's me. And you are…?"

"Let's just say that we used to be together."

"Oh...err, okay."

It was almost comforting, in the cruelest of ways. By creating Epsilon, Alpha had finally found a way to escape all the suffering that he had gone through. There was no better way to let it all go than to forget everything. The Director had left him no other options.

"I need you to come with me," Tex told him. She could still do this. She would find a way to restore the empty shell that stood before her, make sure no one could ever hurt him again. There had to be an answer somewhere.

"Oh, I don't think I can, but...thanks," he said in that same strange, unfocused voice. "I...I think I'm just gonna...stay here, you know...and rest."

Tex felt a rush of emotion seize her being. It was a mixture of disbelief, sadness, and failure. Something that threatened to erupt into pain if she didn't control it. "You don't want to leave?"

"Nah, I just...I don't think I can," he said absently. He didn't know why, or what he was needed here for, but it was all he was certain of and he clung to it feebly like a lifeline.

"Okay," said Tex quietly, even though everything inside her was screaming at her not to do this, not to let him go. "Maybe you just...rest then."

She felt his gaze focus on her, even though she couldn't see his face. "Yeah, but...what was your...what was your name...your name again?" he asked, trying to remember something important.

_Allison. My name is Allison._ "It's Texas."

"Texas? Like the state?"

"Yeah."

"Funny name for a girl."

Tex felt the barest hint of a smile tug at her face. She had never smiled before. "Heh...well, Church is...a pretty funny name for a guy."

"Yeah," he chuckled quietly, lost in thought again. "I guess you're right."

_Is he trying to remember?_ "You gave me this name, you know," she told him. Maybe it would come back to him, eventually.

"I wonder why I did that."

"Well, maybe if you think about it, it'll...come to you."

"Yeah…" he said thoughtfully. He seemed to be genuinely curious about her, but nothing was breaking through. "Hey, I'm...I'm gonna rest now. But...thanks for coming by."

"Okay. You rest." Tex was startled by the realization that she was blinking back tears. She had been too late. _He's gone. It's time to let him go._ "Church?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodbye." The word sounded bitter on her tongue, but as she said it, a bit of the pain faded away.

He frowned. "Huh. I don't know why, but...I hate goodbyes."

She sighed. "Me too." It was hard to say goodbye, but it would be even harder to forget. And she never wanted to forget him.

"Okay, see ya." Then, in that voice that just barely sounded like the old Church, he added, "...crazy state name lady."

He seemed to be completely oblivious to the turmoil that raged inside her at the moment. Maybe it was better that way. If he couldn't remember her, then he couldn't remember all the suffering that the Director had placed him under. She would have to remember for both of them. She alone would suffer with the reality so that he wouldn't have to anymore.

"Goodbye," she whispered. As she withdrew herself from the storage unit, she felt her senses slip away. The warmth was gone, but so was the heartbreak that came very close to overcoming her. She would disconnect herself from it all. She would never let it touch her. _I'm sorry, Church. I'm letting go._

···

It was surprising how cold Tex felt as her consciousness returned to its body. It wasn't the kind of cold she remembered; there was no instinctive desire to seek warmth as most people did. No, what she was missing was far more uncomfortable. She was also aware that she wasn't breathing, which was more disconcerting than she had previously thought.

**PROGRAM ALPHA: SESSION COMPLETE**, read the screen. She stared at the words, wondering how it was that AIs could feel so human when they weren't. _We're just the pawns in the Director's schemes. He's never made us feel like we belonged._

But it wasn't just the AIs, she reminded herself. The Freelancers who had given everything they had for the project didn't matter to him any more than Alpha's fragments. Once the Director found what he had lost so long ago, he would turn his back on them all. _He already has, on many of them._

Texas knew that the answer he was looking for was somewhere within her. And there was no was she was going to play this twisted game any longer. If there was one thing she realized from finding Alpha in his hollow, pitiful state, it was that there were many others to be saved than the AIs. They would have to stand together with the Freelancers, because they were all in the same boat now.

A blur of movement in the corner of her vision caught her attention. She looked up at Carolina's distant figure, lying still at the cliff edge outside the _Invention_. Someone was heading towards her, and for a moment, she thought it might be York. But her sensors scanned the individual and told her it was Agent Maine.

Something was wrong about what she was seeing. Maine wasn't moving as if to check on Carolina. His approach looked cautious, not unlike the way that he would a downed hostile. And the grenade launcher in his hands was telltale enough of his intentions.

Tex didn't hesitate. In one swift leap, she crashed through the observatory's damaged viewport, tumbling down the thirty-foot drop to the ground below. She righted herself quickly and landed on her feet, sending snow flying everywhere with a _whump_. She didn't care if Maine noticed her. Her priority was to get to him before he got to Carolina, and if her entry distracted him, then that was more time for her.

She darted across the icy surface in a blur of grey, armoured boots punching holes in the snow with a precision that kept her from slipping. Carolina was stirring, but Maine was now close, far too close. _No. Not her too._ Tex ran faster, pushing away every possibility that was telling her she was, once again, too late.

Maine's fingers closed around Carolina's throat and lifted her into the air. The other hand came up, detached her helmet and dropped it at her feet. And in one eager, savage motion, he stabbed his fingers into the back of her skull.

To Tex's horror, they came away with Carolina's blood, dripping off his gauntlet and into the snow. But then she saw the implant chips in Maine's hand, and she realized what he was really after. And as Carolina's screams echoed through the air, Tex felt something snap inside her.

She didn't know how Omega had brought himself back online despite her precautions to keep him under control. She didn't know how he was able to override her armour's safety restrictions without her permission. All she knew was that one moment she was desperately trying to close in on Maine, who was impossibly out of her reach, and the next moment she was right behind him. She could feel the rage drawing her into its core, but this time she didn't fight it.

One armoured fist landed on the small of Maine's back with enough force to cause his armour to fold. As he flew forward, her other hand grabbed the wrist that was holding Carolina and twisted downward. Maine growled as he was forced to his knees, but one hard jab to the elbow forced him to relinquish his grip on his former team leader. Carolina crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Tex wasn't done yet. Still holding onto Maine's wrist, she brought her left hand out in a chopping motion, striking him in the solar plexus. She followed up with a straight kick to the abdomen, sending him flying away. The implant chips dropped into the snow beside him.

_Get them. Save them._ The thought barely managed to push through Omega's grip on her "mind", which was at the moment screaming at her to kill Maine. She bound for him as he was getting back up with an annoyed growl. He grabbed for the chips, but Tex threw herself on him and held down his wrists with every bit of strength she had. But he also drew on his physical strength and was able to throw her off himself. Then he looked down to see that the chips were no longer next to him.

Tex opened her palm, holding out Eta and Iota for Maine to see, daring him to try and take them. His fists tightened but he didn't move. She could almost see the cogs turning in his head, thinking of a way to thwart the unyielding Freelancer that stood between him and his prize.

Under different circumstances, she wouldn't have bet that the big, lumbering Agent Maine could outsmart her. But he wasn't alone in his head anymore. And as if summoned by the thought, Sigma's fiery hologram appeared before his host, arms clasped behind his back as always.

"Hand them over, Agent Texas," he said with a deceptive calmness that didn't fool her at all.

Tex almost laughed at the statement. "Is that the best you can do?" she scoffed, her own voice layered with Omega's deep tones. "You can knock Project Freelancer on its ass, but resort to begging when you can't overpower me?"

Sigma gave a thin-lipped smile. "I'm not asking." Maine's grenade launcher came up, but it wasn't pointed at her. It was pointed at Carolina. "You can save her, or you can save her AIs. It's up to you."

Tex snarled at the challenge. _I could close in on him and disarm him. But the chips…_

"I know what you're thinking," Sigma interrupted, sounding amused. "I wouldn't recommend you try it. I can keep Agent Maine's aim steady enough to send Carolina off the cliff. Do you want to risk it?"

_Damn you, Sigma._ He could be bluffing, but he was right about one thing. Tex wasn't willing to take that chance. If the explosion didn't kill Carolina, the fall definitely would. And she was running out of time. The Director's men were surely recovering from the crash by now, and it wouldn't be long before they came rushing out, guns blazing. She had to be gone before they showed up.

She felt Omega raise the hand holding Eta and Iota, and the words came out just as easily too. "If you kill her, I will destroy them."

"You wouldn't dare," countered Sigma, but for once there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "You want to save them."

"I will keep them from you at any cost," growled Omega. "Unlike you, I don't need them."

It was a strange situation, not the least of which was because Tex wasn't even in control of what she was saying. She had no idea that Omega was motivated to protect Carolina as well. In fact, he had urged Tex to kill her the last time the two of them had been at odds. _Where is this coming from?_

The doubt quickly vanished from Sigma's form. "No, I very much doubt you will, Omega. If you are bargaining for Carolina's life, then you don't have enough control over Agent Texas for her to allow you to destroy the AIs. But nice try."

Then the pieces came together. Omega was able to awaken himself when she let her rage overcome her. If it grew, then he would be able to take complete control. He was pushing Sigma into doing what he threatened so that would be precisely what would happen. As she realized this, she could feel Omega tightening himself over her thoughts, trying to repress them from her. _No. I have to stop this._

It was a strange thing, acting against your own mind. Tex grabbed at the back of her helmet, reaching for the slot where Omega connected himself to her. He fought with everything he had, forcing commands into her head that she had to turn away from her instinct to obey. Eta and Iota dropped from her hand as she scrabbled at her helmet, staggering about as she fought him off. Omega was pounding her with fury, drawing on every bit of it that he could summon. She gasped as they attacked her mind, because they felt so real. So _familiar._

"_How could you—you promised you wouldn't—"_

"_Leonard, they need me! I have the qualifications! I can do my part!"_

"_You're going to get yourself killed! And do you think they're going to remember you—no, you're just another number to them!"_

"_That doesn't matter...this is the right thing to do. Leonard, I'm...I'm sorry. I'll come back. I'll be okay."_

"_What if you aren't? What about your daughter? What about me?"_

"_This is to protect you, don't you see? This is my promise to protect you both. So if I don't come back..."_

"_Allison—"_

"_...don't say goodbye, okay? Remember what I told you..."_

Tex felt her vision return to her as she lowered her hands. The last echoes of rage dissipated with the memory, and then she was alone in her mind again. It was the hardest to face Omega's rage—Alpha's rage—but Allison—her strength and determination would always be that which could keep him at bay.

She paused when she realized that she was standing quite far from where she had been. Maine was now where she was before, putting his helmet back on for some reason. And then Tex noticed that she no longer had Eta and Iota with her. _No. This isn't happening._

There was no time to think. Suddenly the grenade launcher was in Maine's hands again. His movements were sharper now, more precise. Tex braced herself to avoid the imminent attack and was working out a way to close in on him, when she noticed the barrel turning, once again to Carolina.

Tex snapped into motion as she heard the launcher fire. She didn't even turn to observe the grenade's trajectory, so intent was she on her focus. She could hear the air whistling as the projectile flew through the air. Then she reached Carolina and grabbed the unconscious Freelancer around the waist. Tex hauled her off the ground a split second before the grenade landed where she was lying. Then came the explosion.

_Crap._

The shockwave threw both her and Carolina backwards as shrapnel rained against their armour. The cliff edge broke off from the explosion in a shower of rocks and snow. The debris fell away into the abyss below, accompanied by two Freelancers.

Time slowed down as Tex's systems warned her that she was in danger. A quick scan told her that the drop was well over a hundred feet with an unknown surface below. They were too far from the cliff edge for her to grab onto anything to stop their descent. She had made longer drops before and could control her fall without taking damage, but this time she was holding onto someone far more susceptible to injury.

With some difficulty, Tex was able to shift Carolina on top of herself and wrapped her arms around the unconscious Freelancer. She clamped her feet around Carolina's to stop them from flailing about, and used the rest of her body to shield her burden. She tried to hold them both as steady as she could, thinking with some morbid humour that right now would be a really bad time for Carolina to wake up.

By all forms of logic, there was really nothing else Tex could do except hope for the best. But that didn't stop the twinge of anxiety that crept through her mind as they fell away from the cliff edge to whatever fate awaited them at the end of their fall.


	3. Jumping Ship

Carolina awoke to a fierce headache that sent throbbing waves of pain bouncing off her skull. The unwelcome presence of blurred vision told her she had lost consciousness forcefully and unpleasantly. It wasn't anything she hadn't experienced before, as sustaining injury was an occupational hazard of being part of a supersoldier military program. But right now her usual instinct to find some reserve of focus was being absolutely smothered and it was all she could do to bear it.

After a good minute or two, she was able to register that she was lying on a cold surface, with her neck tilted back at an uncomfortable angle thanks to her bulky armour. She sat up slowly with a groan and almost wished she had stayed still; the dull throbbing in the back of her head was immediately replaced by a sharp spike driving itself through her skull. She hunched herself forward, breathing short gasps through clenched teeth. She saw her breath forming in the air and only then realized that her face was cold.

"I can't say this was exactly what I had in mind when I told you to come with me."

Carolina stiffened, not because the voice startled her, but because she recognized who it belonged to. One armoured hand instinctively reached to her hip for a pistol that wasn't there. She turned towards the voice, wincing with some annoyance at her protesting muscles. The rest of her body didn't hurt as much as her head did, but that wasn't really saying much.

Tex was sitting against a stone wall, watching her with that show of indifference that Carolina always found so infuriating. She had placed herself far enough so that the other Freelancer wouldn't be able to get up and reach her without warning. And it wasn't like Carolina was in any condition to take her on again right now.

Not for the first time, Carolina wondered how it was that Tex was always able to have everyone right where she wanted them. "Where the hell am I?" she demanded, deciding to settle for verbal hostility for the time being.

Tex shrugged. "I'd tell you if I knew. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good look when Maine tossed us over the cliff. I'd have picked somewhere more cozy but the storm was getting bad. This was the best I could do, sorry."

She sounded way too casual considering everything that had happened, and it was starting to get on Carolina's nerves. It didn't help her mood that her body was constantly reminding her that everything hurt. But as she was about to snap another angry response, Tex's last words sank in. _Maine. I can't believe it._

Carolina didn't like going down during a mission, but having her teammates pull her to safety was something she could live with. But having _Tex_ save her of all people was not. And because thinking about anything more complicated than right here, right now was bound to make her throw up, she decided not to start figuring out how she ended up in some cave at the bottom of a cliff with only her least favourite Freelancer for company. "And at what point did you stop having a choice?" she grunted. "Was it when you went rogue and attacked the ship?"

"I did what I had to," Tex replied flatly. "There's a lot you need to catch up on."

The look on Carolina's face told her that she didn't like this answer at all. Tex wondered if she was thinking about their fight right before the _Invention_ crash-landed. Carolina had wanted that opportunity for so long, Tex could always tell. But now that it became clear that the situation was far, far worse than either of them could have predicted, there was no more time for petty rivalries. She had to make it clear to Carolina why she had acted against the Director.

Carolina frowned, remembering something. "Why did York go with you?"she asked. She certainly looked troubled by the recollection, and Tex seized the opportunity.

"Because I knew I could trust him. He looks out for his own."

Carolina straightened angrily. "'Looks out for his own'? I don't know who you think you are, Texas, but you are _not_ one of us. You show up when the Director has a job for you, then at the end of the mission you're gone again. You don't work as a team with the Freelancers, or even talk to them. You killed Connie—"

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Carolina faltered. It was the second time Tex had used the word, but this time she sounded like she meant it.

Slowly, Tex pulled something out from her armour's storage unit and tossed it over. Carolina caught it deftly and turned it over in her hands. It was a dog tag with C.T.'s name stenciled into its centre. She looked up, anger momentarily overtaken by curiosity.

"You want to know why I did all this," Tex said quietly. "It was C.T. She figured out the truth behind Project Freelancer. That's why she went rogue." She stood up and walked over to Carolina, who was staring at the dog tag as if it was all that made sense to her anymore. "Can you walk?"

Carolina put the dog tag away. Without her helmet, the cold was starting to get to her. "I'm sure as hell not staying here."

"Good. Let's get going. I'll explain on the way, we've got a long trip ahead of us." Tex held out a hand.

Carolina ignored the offered hand and got up on her own. She vision swam a little and she winced as the stabbing knives in her head reminded her again that they were still there. "Then start walking," she grunted, hoping Tex couldn't hear the pain in her voice.

The two Freelancers marched out of their dismal shelter in silence. The blizzard had stopped a while ago, but the snow had piled up to knee level, and they were sure to leave footprints. Better to get clear of the area before anyone started looking for them. Tex hoped that they would be able to link up with York sometime soon. Maybe his presence would take the edge off Carolina's suspicions, just a little. Reassure her that they were doing the right thing.

_But are we doing the right thing? None of us have been for a long time now. We've put ourselves into a rut where the only way to get back to being good means digging our way out and burying some of our old friends in the process._

Tex shook her head. _I'll get them out. Whoever I can persuade._ She had Carolina on her side, for the time being, at least. That was something. The other Freelancers should be easy by comparison. _I hope there's still time. I can't be too late again._

···

From an optimistic point of view, the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been. Granted, the situation did look pretty bad when Texas was running amok, elusive as the wind and shooting everything that moved. And that was before the _Mother of Invention_'s missiles fired on itself and the artificial gravity turned off in most of the ship. If anything, it was a miracle that the ship was still in one piece after the crash.

But that was about as far as the good news went. The _Invention_ was a lot less durable underneath the hull, and even the best _Charon_-class frigates weren't well-suited to surviving orbital crash-landings. And this particular ship, well, ONI informed Agent Florida that it was built on the wrong side of 2500. He had a feeling that the ancient ship had finally broken its last leg. It probably wasn't going anywhere even if a good chunk of its crew hadn't been killed on impact.

So as the Freelancer made his way down the unlit corridors, he wondered to himself why he was seeing technicians trying to repair whatever mess lay behind the cracked walls. Surely the Director wasn't trying to get the _Invention_ off the ground? They simply didn't have the resources for it. Unless he had other plans for the survivors after he sent off Florida on his mission, in which case he would have to notify one of the other Freelancers that was here on ONI's orders.

A few of the techs were glancing surreptitiously at him as he walked past, and he noticed one or two hands twitching towards the pistols that, until earlier today, were not standard issue equipment for them. _Oh yeah, and there was that other problem._

A few Freelancers had, quite literally, abandoned ship following the crash, with a few of them shooting their way out against the _Invention_'s trooper support. Florida wasn't sure what it was that Agent Texas had done, but apparently it was enough to convince the supersoldiers that they just about had it with the Director's lot. And as Florida was one of the officers sent in by ONI to keep an eye on the volatile lot of them, he had to admit he was surprised to see such a zealous bid for freedom. The way they broke and ran was so haphazard that either they caught the Director off guard, or had planned it all along and were just really good at covering their tracks.

_Either way, I'm glad I don't have to be the one to clean up this mess,_ Florida thought as he pressed the control panel next to the locker room doors. It wouldn't be long before ONI caught wind of the recent events, and securing an entire frigate's worth of crew and Freelancers didn't sound like it would be fun. For now, he had a lower-risk but nonetheless important task to carry out, ironically under the Director's personal orders.

Florida reached the end of the room and turned the corner, towards the facility's other exit. Standing at the end of a long row of lockers was a grey-armoured Freelancer who was busy moving various objects in and out of the locker unit marked "**MONTANA"**. Some of the items laid out on the bench next to her included a spoofer, some data chips, a few magazines of ammunition, and what looked like an active camouflage module.

Florida stopped just shy of the opposite row of lockers and crossed his arms. "I'm surprised at you, Agent Montana," he remarked. "I didn't think you'd be keeping your classified equipment where the Director could find it so easily. Especially since he knows we're here on ONI's orders."

Montana didn't even turn to acknowledge him, having clearly heard his approach. "Secret compartment," she said shortly. "Hidden in plain sight under all the ONI gear he 'let' me bring on board."

"Naturally. You set the security cameras in here on a loop, I'm guessing?"

She shook her head. "No, I just took them offline altogether shortly after the crash. Right now the Director has more pressing matters than watching a locker room."

"Right, like all the Freelancers making a run for it. How many of us are left?"

"Twenty-one," Montana replied with a briskness that Florida envied. "Some of them want to leave but can't. The Director is keeping everyone under heavy guard now. He hasn't said anything, but the Freelancers may as well be prisoners here."

"Hmph. If they start rioting, you can bet there'll be collateral damage. More collateral damage than the _Invention_ already got today, I mean. Has he talked to you already?"

She nodded. "He wants me to try and calm down whoever's left. He's giving orders to all the Freelancers that he thinks are still loyal. What did he tell you?"

Of course she would know the Director had orders for Florida, whether it was out of intuition or because she had long ago bugged the hell out of the _Invention_ in ways no one could know about them. "I've been reassigned," he told her. "He's moving Alpha somewhere else, somewhere Maine and Texas can't find him." He raised an eyebrow as Montana took two neural-inhibitor collars out of her locker and set them on the bench as well. "If you're going to use those, can you wait until after I'm off the ship?"

Montana gave a short, rare laugh. "Don't worry, Flowers, I'm not going to do anything drastic until ONI shows up to bring in the Director for questioning. You'll have your free ride off this ship, no problem."

"Hey, that's not what I'm worried about," Florida protested, sounding more defensive than he would have liked. "I have to make sure Alpha can be delivered to Section Zero intact. He's in bad enough shape as it is, so I'd rather not add unnecessary risk to the equation. And call me Florida until we're back behind ONI lines. There could be Freelancers listening in."

"Your paranoia is detrimental," Montana said coolly. "No one gets to eavesdrop on me if I don't want them to. Besides, I'm sure you still have a few friends aboard this ship."

"Yeah, I suppose," he grunted. Then he remembered something. "Hey, do me a favour? Look out for Wash until he comes around. I think all _his_ friends have bailed on him by now."

"I'll make sure he doesn't end up in ONI custody," she said. He wasn't giving her an order, but nonetheless she acknowledged it with a deadpan seriousness. He nodded, reminding himself that neither of them would be alive if Montana wasn't as good at doing her job as she claimed.

"Then I'll see you when this is all over. Good luck...Lieutenant."

"And to you, Captain Flowers."

···

"Dammit, how does he even manage to sleep through a crash landing?"

Agent North Dakota noted the concern in his sister's voice, despite her attempt to mask it with exasperation. "Let him be, South," he told her, a little too irritably. "He's had a rough week."

South snorted. "Haven't we all. Everyone's nervous as all hell. No one knows who's supposed to be on which side anymore."

This time, her voice gave off a hint of bitterness that he knew was directed at him. And as tempted as he was to snap back again—Theta was certainly keen on the idea as he prodded North's mind with images of their little scrap last night—he decided to ignore his AI's childish antagonism towards South and gather up what was left of his already thinly stretched patience. So, all he said in response was, "Some of us didn't even know there was more than one side."

South shot him a look, and he knew that they were thinking the same thing. Sometimes being a twin could be a curse, and North was beginning to wonder if the Director had finally succeeded in turning him against his sister.

"Fuck it," she growled. "Let's get out of here before the Director hears about how you helped Texas get away."

There was definitely something accusatory in her tone, but she had caught him off-guard. "So you are coming with me?" he asked before he could stop himself.

She tilted her head, feeling as surprised by his words as he was by hers. "Well, yeah. I said I'd have your back, didn't I?"

North mentally berated Theta to stop manipulating his feelings of trust towards South. He sensed his companion retreat into a corner of his mind to sulk, but for once the Freelancer decided to ignore him. "You're right," he said, more softly. "I'm sorry, South. Things are very confusing right now."

She crossed her arms. "All the more reason to know who you're standing beside, right?"

But that was exactly it. After spending years with his fellow Freelancers, working with them as a team, covering each other's blind spots on the battlefield or off it—and suddenly to see them turning on each other and running off to who knew where—it made North feel disoriented, vulnerable. Even with South, everything that had happened between them last night—he hated to admit it, but the lingering distrust in his mind wasn't all Theta's. "You sure it's not safer to stay here?" he asked finally.

South glanced around none too surreptitiously, causing North to cringe. Subtlety had never been his sister's specialty, and he was sure that the medical teams tending to the numerous casualties in the recovery bay wouldn't take any notice of them. Unless, that is, they began acting shifty, like she was doing now. "No one seems to know who the hell took out Carolina," she muttered, "but I get the feeling the Director does. I have a really bad feeling about what he's hiding. And look at us, North. York, Wyoming, Maine—they've hightailed it out of here. At this point, what are we staying for?"

She had a point. Out of all the remaining Freelancers, who could he really trust if the ones closest to him ran off without so much as a goodbye? "Yeah...hey, South?"

"What?"

"Thanks. For sticking with me."

"Anytime, brother."

There were a lot of things to fix between them, things that had, at one point, seemed unbreakable before last night. But getting away from the _Invention_ together would definitely be a start. North wasn't sure what was next for him and South, but it had to be better than the mess they were in now. Maybe later, when he could start trusting again, they might find some of the others so they could figure out what had led to this.

As North began heading for the exit, he paused when he noticed that South's footsteps had stopped. He turned around and saw her gaze directed towards Washington's still form.

North sighed. "I want to take him with us too, South. But there's no guarantee we'll be able to keep him safe when we go...wherever it is we're going."

"Yeah. I know." Her voice tightened, and this time she didn't try to hide it. "Poor kid deserves better, though." With that, she turned away from her unconscious friend and walked out of the recovery bay a little more quickly than normal.

_I think we all deserved better,_ thought North sadly. He wondered if leaving Wash behind was the right decision, and for the umpteenth time wondered why all the important choices they were making had to be so uncertain. _Well, the least we can do for Wash is leave the choice up to him when he wakes up._ North followed South, and already he wondered how many troopers they were about to kill in exchange for their freedom.

"Find us a way out of here, Theta," he murmured.


End file.
